This chapter is from the book

Chapter 1: Analyzing Business Requirements

Objectives

This chapter covers the following Microsoft-specified objectives for the
Analyzing Business Requirements section of the Designing a Microsoft Windows
2000 Network Infrastructure exam:

Analyze the existing and planned business models.

Analyze the company model and the geographical scope. Models include
regional, national, international, subsidiary, and branch offices.

Analyze company processes. Processes include information flow,
communication flow, service and product life cycles, and
decision-making.

Often network designers focus on only the technical issues that surround a
design project, and they neglect the business-side issues. The first step when
considering business impact and issues for a network design project is to
examine the basic business model being applied. This objective teaches you how
to do this.

This objective helps you determine issues that will impact your design,
stemming from the various business structures in place within your client's
organization and from outside customers and partners.

Analyze factors that influence company strategies.

Identify company priorities.

Identify the projected growth and growth strategy.

Identify relevant laws and regulations.

Identify the company's tolerance for risk.

Identify the total cost of operations.

The purpose of this objective is to help you recognize the factors that shape
your client's strategies and strategic goals, and to consider how these
factors will impact your network design.

Analyze the structure of IT management. Considerations include type of
administration, such as centralized or decentralized; funding model;
outsourcing; decision-making process; and change-management process.

This objective serves to teach you the various considerations concerning your
client's Information Technology management team. Considerations made in
this area help determine the success or failure of your network design
project.

Introduction

Analyzing Business Models

Analyzing the Company Model and Geographic Scope

Analyzing Company Processes

Information Flow

Communication Flow

Service and Product Life Cycles

Decision-Making

Analyzing Organizational Structures

Management Model

Company Organization

Vendor, Partner, and Customer Relationships

Acquisitions Plans

Analyzing Company Business Strategies

Identifying Company Priorities

Identifying the Projected Growth and Growth Strategy

Identifying the Relevant Laws and Regulations

Identifying the Company's Tolerance for Risk

Identifying the Total Cost of Ownership

Analyzing IT Management

Centralized and Decentralized Administration

Corporate Funding Models

Outsourcing Network Responsibilities

The Decision-Making Process

The Change-Management Process

Chapter Summary

Apply Your Knowledge

The material in this chapter is not necessarily Microsoft-specific. The
approach to network design that you take in this chapter will serve you
well on any network design project. Remember as you learn these techniques
that many of them can be transferred to other non-Microsoft projects.

Pay particular attention to the Case Study that we develop in this chapter.
Case studies are an excellent way to learn and begin to understand network
design concepts.

As you read the material presented in this chapter, try to associate it
with events in your own experience. Think about network projects that you
have been involved with, and try to determine if any of the steps described
in this chapter were performed for those projects. What was the outcome
as a result of design-planning strategies?